Topic: Artemis/SLS launch pad protective structure
SpaceAngel Member
Posts: 473 From: Maryland Registered: May 2010
posted 05-19-2024 12:33 PM
Here's what I don't understand; why can't NASA create a mobile service structure, similar to the Apollo/Saturn V to protect the spacecraft as well as launch vehicle from inclement weather?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 52423 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 05-19-2024 02:31 PM
I asked about this when NASA first announced it was going with a clean pad configuration for Artemis.
From what I recall, NASA decided to forgo an Apollo-like mobile service structure for Artemis, opting instead to complete most of the work on the Space Launch System (SLS) in the Vehicle Assembly Building and rolling out to the pad within days, instead of weeks of the planned launch.
The Apollo mobile service structure provided some protection against weather, but its primary purpose was to enable access to the Saturn V while on the pad. The rocket still had to be rolled back in the case of hurricanes or other extreme weather threats.
Jim Behling Member
Posts: 1906 From: Cape Canaveral, FL Registered: Mar 2010
posted 05-23-2024 08:46 PM
quote:Originally posted by SpaceAngel: ...to protect the spacecraft as well as launch vehicle from inclement weather?
The primary task of the MSS was to support Apollo spacecraft servicing and Saturn V vehicle access. Weather protection was secondary.
For the shuttle, the RSS was not designed for weather protection. But when the pad duration became longer than originally planned and the TPS vulnerability became known, weather protection was added to pad fixtures. I believe most was added after the Challenger stand down.